Page 130 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

11_571656 ch07.qxd 11/10/04 12:35 PM Page 121
G – H: SAT Words
121
glutton (GLUH tin) n. 1. a person who can eat a copious amount (like a pig);
2. someone capable of a great amount of something
• The glutton consumed such mass quantities of food that his dining com-
panion feared that he might explode.
• Although Blossom had rejected his advances seven times before, being a
glutton for punishment, Karl had to try just one more time.
[Syn. epicure]
gracious (GRAY shis) adj. 1. showing kindness, courtesy, charm, etc.; 2. com-
passionate; merciful; 3. showing kindness toward those in inferior positions; 4.
showing taste and luxuriousness appropriate to the well-to-do and well educated
• Catherine was very gracious in her acceptance of the gifts.
• Francine listened to the prisoners’ complaints about the quality of the food
in a very gracious manner.
• The prince was gracious as he was introduced to the members of the regiment.
• Though sumptuous, the appointments of the manor were gracious so as to
afford comfort to all who might visit.
[-ly adv.]
grandiose (GRAN dee ohs) adj. 1. imposing; impressive; magnificent; having
grandeur; 2. seeming important, pompous, and showy, or trying to so seem
• The Breakers (built as a summer home by the Vanderbilts in Newport,
Rhode Island) can only be described as grandiose.
• Napoleon had grandiose plans for a French empire.
• The court of Louis XVI was so grandiose as to show the commoners how
unimportant they were.
gratuity (gra TOO i tee) n. a sum of money, often based on a percentage of the
total bill, paid to a server or other service person; tip; present
• An appropriate gratuity for the waitperson at a restaurant is 15–20%,
depending on the quality of service.
•A gratuity should rarely be left at a European restaurant because the cost of
service is already reflected on the bill.
• Twenty percent is the appropriate gratuity for taxicab drivers.
[gratuities pl.] [Syn. tip]
greed (GREED) n. a desire for more than one needs or deserves; cupidity
• Greed is not always about money, although it often is.
• Monarchs and dictators through history have shown greed for land and/or
power.
• Greed for more land also fueled the nineteenth-century American doctrine
of Manifest Destiny.
[-iness n.] [Syn. avarice]
grudging (GRUD jing) adj. reluctant; with envy and resentment
• The company’s outgoing CEO gave a grudging acknowledgment to his suc-
cessor at the board meeting.
• Henry’s ex-wife said a grudging hello to his new wife when they came to
take the children for the weekend.
[-ly adv.]